Eating and shopping in Barsana
Barsana eats simply and all of it is vegetarian. Breakfast is fried and sweet, lunch is a thali, and between darshans there is lassi in a clay cup. Here is what to look for, and what to bring home.
What to eat
Kachori with aloo sabzi
Sold hot near the temple steps from early morning. Bedai with jalebi is the other breakfast, in the main market.
Lassi, rabri and chai
Lassi and rabri in kulhad, the clay cup, and milk tea at the foot of the temple. Chaat stalls in the market by evening.
Peda and thandai
Braj peda to eat and to carry home. Thandai turns up everywhere in the Holi weeks.
Good to know
- No meat, eggs or alcohol in town, and nobody expects them.
- Small notes. Stalls prefer cash or UPI; keep Rs 10, 20 and 50 notes.
- Water. Buy sealed bottles; carry one up the hill.
- Barsana Aahar, which shows up in searches, is a satvik restaurant in Chandigarh, not in Barsana.
Prasad
At Shriji the bhog is offered through the day, with Rajbhog at noon. Prasad shops line the way up, and you can buy a box to offer and take home.
On Radha Ashtami the chappan bhog, 56 dishes, is fed first to the peacocks on the hill and then shared with devotees. On Laddu Holi the laddus thrown from the temple are kept as prasad by whoever catches one.
Cannot come? Bhog seva from home or a poshak for Shriji in your name, with a photo the same day.
What to buy
- On the temple steps: puja samagri, malas, Radha Krishna pictures, bangles, toys and incense.
- Poshak and shringar for your own Ladli Ji or Laddu Gopal at home: tailors in town make them to size. Ask us and we will take you.
- Peda from the market, packed for the journey.
- Gulal in the Holi weeks, to play with at home.
Staying a few days in a guest house or ashram? Barsana Bazaar delivers vegetables, fruit and milk to the door.
Plan around meals
Eating and shopping in Barsana
What is the famous food of Barsana?
Kachori with aloo sabzi in the morning, bedai and jalebi, lassi and rabri in clay cups, peda, and thandai in the Holi weeks.
Is Barsana Aahar in Barsana?
No. Barsana Aahar is a satvik restaurant in Sector 36D, Chandigarh. In Barsana itself eat at the stalls and dhabas in the market and near the temple steps.
What prasad is given at the Radha Rani temple?
Prasad boxes are sold on the way up for you to offer. On Radha Ashtami the chappan bhog goes first to the peacocks and then to devotees; on Laddu Holi the laddus thrown from the temple are kept as prasad.
What should I buy in Barsana?
Peda, malas and puja samagri from the stalls on the steps, a poshak for your Ladli Ji or Laddu Gopal from a town tailor, and gulal in the Holi season.
Can I get non vegetarian food in Barsana?
No. Barsana is vegetarian, with no meat, eggs or alcohol sold in town.
We reply with a plan, not a brochure
Say when you are coming and how many of you there are. You get two or three options with real distances to Shriji and a fixed price. No surge on festival days.
- Zero commission. This is seva we do for Ladli Ji's bhakts.
- Reply within a day, usually within hours
- Stays 10% below the walk-in rate when booked through us
- A local lead with every group on festival days
- No VIP darshan promises, because there is no such thing at Shriji
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